Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-10-07
General Towards Address,

uTeSS, anu heV .. ~. Oelt OlIereQ the clos
ing prayer.
General Towards Address
The address of General o. o. Howard,
delivered at the annual meeting of the
Home Missionary Society, is substantially
as follows:
The Secretary of our Home Missions
came in TO see me two days ago about COM
ing to this conference. He said I'VE
cannot spare you we cannot spare a man.
What would you have thought, General,
during the great war, right in the midst of
the conflict, when the struggle was the
hardest and the cause was banging in the
balance, to have had an order come from
Washington calling halt all along the
line because the funds had been e1haustedr
Well" he declares, that is Just our con-
dition, the condition of those who are
waging the Lords battle on the front line
along this coast"
What do you mean, doctor, by such
figure? do not understand YOU
q mean, General, just this = The order
from the New York office of the Home
Missionary Society is Take up no new
work = and just now, when at least eight
new churches are springing up and calling
for little aid-and the aid that must be
had at this time. And, then, General, YOU
teaching of christian teaching among the
multitudes Of children and youths that are
growing up, that are healthful, and physi-
cally 50 headstrong. Is it time to call
halt-a halt all along the liner
Now the doctor went further He said
men have fought for this country. Thou
sands have given their lives, other thousands
are living broken in constitution and
MANNED for life. They have preserved our
institutions, at least the form of them.
Why, this nation so preserved is the hope
of the world. But are not the pure family,
the church of Christ and the schools the
foundation institutions on which the
structure rests? Throw into the doctors
plea all his feeling and earnestness, and
you have the whole case. How can I add
anything to strengthen the appeal? have
come in the face of other calls to duty, to
transfer the doctors warm appeal from my
self to each Of you who are here present.
Consider the question: us it time to call
halt In the Home Mission field?" If no,
no it is not if that be the answer. Then
let each man and woman inquire seriously.
what can l do? or scripturally, Lord what
wilt Thou have me to do? I have dear
good friend in San Francisco whose heart
is all on fire with zeal in the cause of
| religion. He penetrates every nook and
corner of San Francisco. He talks with
merchants, clerks, workingmen, with the
good and the bad, both men and women.
His hair is now silvered with age, vet his
eye is not dim, nor his natural force
abated. He, too. like our Secretary, comes
to me and sometimes sits or stands with
me il little side room of the office. His
discourse always takes on a peculiar fora.
" You do not begin to know" he de-
clares, - the bottom needs of this CITY and
flyS coast Whu tho -
came hither for gold. The large majority
of them were here without family ties So
you see two Things were soon in their
minds-one gold, l. e. wealth and what
goes with it, and the other was the gratifi-
cation of appetite and passion Now look
how can you expect the defendants, the
boys and girls, to be other than they are?
They lawfully inherit their proclivities."
He says something has to be done, when a
boy has heard only the talk about money.
how to make it, how to keep it, what grand
luxuries Of living come through this chan
mel. You must somehow start his thoughts
in new directions. He says. with feeling:
We mourn because hundreds of boys go
out to play ball and other games on Sun
day, and lose the benefit Of the rich in
struction at the church or at home, with no
restraint and no apparent compunctions OF
conscience about the matter. We hear
among them swearing and cursing and low
language which indicate low grade of
morals.
We mourn because large multitudes of
youth of both sexes, in gay attire, go off on
Sunday excursions where there is drink
ing, gambling, dancing and feasting, with
bands OF music discoursing the merry
waltzes. We mourn because the play
houses and brothels are filled on the Sab
bath with our young people. We mourn
more to see the early signs of dissipation in
the eyes and faces of our young men be-
cause the alleys leading out of our main
streets are given up to wanton vice, where
disease and death set in upon youth from
10 to 20; where boys from so-called good
families, and sometimes little girls, are
drawn in by the deceptive glitter of vicious
inhabitants
I'VE mourn because the churches,
though many in number, take in such a
small proportion of our men and of our
young people. And when we go out OF the
city we find that profanity and license pre-.
vail that 1t Is popular to fear neither God
nor man that soldiers in the army, Young
men on the railways and stage lines sailors
On the steamers and sailing vessels, and
employees at country and village hotels, and
many, many more, use habitually profane
oaths, care little for purity of language or
conduct; that whole districts are infidel,
and that with infidelity goes a disregard of
the sacred marriage relation; that men and
women are divorced from slight and insult
ficient cause, and that husband and wife
separate forever without any other reason
than the demands of unholy passion. We
mourn to see San Quetin and other prisons
so full of men and women-yes, of bows
and girls, for there are large number there
from Is to % years of age.
I'VE mourn because of millions of
money squandered in gambling speeula-
tons; because young men cannot be trusted
as cashiers and clerks; because heads of
firms are half distracted over the petty alb
sorptions of trusted messengers; and ex-
press managers are robbed or betrayed on
all stage lines and railroad trains by their
own men. We mourn to see the houses
which have become the nurseries and CEN
tiers of crime, fostered by the General Gov
eminent with its respectable license its
carte blanche for pouring strong drink in
streams through the mountains and valleys
of the land, SO that the influence of its
vapor or its draughts cannot be escaped.
Yes, We mourn, because OF the low stand
ard of home life that is creeping into fam
lilies without Bible teaching. prayer book
or prayer; where religion is Gistasteful and
good knowledge is despised."
It is not a pleasant picture that my zeal
Gus friend with earnest eyes and emphatic
voice presents. A hundred voices cry out,
Oh, that is too bad 1t is not so bad as
that on this coast. Think of our wealth
see our great railroad princes; notice our
superb climate; behold our commerce
view our splendid cities: there must have
been some virtue to produce all this. Yes,
my friends; but let us be loyal to truth as
well as devoted to duty A few weeks
81 I baorj Cbopfa,y, Dcf+ar - Uart D.l